Salvation Army thrift store closes for renovation

Customers browse the Salvation Army Family Store during its grand reopening in 2017. The store was remodeled to increase business and generate more revenue for Salvation Army charitable programs.

Olivia Neeley | Times file photo

Posted
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:12 pm

By Brie Handgraaf

bhandgraaf@wilsontimes.com252-265-7821

Wilsonians looking for clothing or household items on the cheap will have to head elsewhere for the next six weeks as the Salvation Army of Wilson Family Store shutters for a renovation. Salvation Army social services will not be affected by the store construction.

The closure is part of a restructuring plan that was announced in December by the Salvation Army’s Divisional Headquarters. Under the plan, the last church service was on Dec. 30 and the sanctuary along with other property is slated to be sold. With the buildings going on the market, headquarters plans to turn the thrift store into a Salvation Army Service Center with offices for staff to administer the social service programs.

“The renovations to the family store building will enhance the campus of the Salvation Army of Wilson,” said Maj. Todd Hawks, general secretary of the Salvation Army of the Carolinas. “Shoppers will have a newly renovated store to find bargains on household goods, furniture and clothing, and our social services and administrative offices will be housed in the same building.”

Once the store reopens, furniture and clothing assistance will resume. The three part-time employees and one full-time staff member will reapply for their respective positions when construction is complete.

“As we find ways to make the Salvation Army more effective and efficient, we will continue to fulfill our mission to meet human needs in the name of Jesus Christ without discrimination,” Hawks said.

Construction is slated to happen concurrently with an update to the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, but no closure is planned for the youth center. The gym will be reconfigured as a basketball court and multipurpose facility with classroom space.